Salt Ponds in San Francisco Bay

Credit: Image credit: NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team, Posted on: Tuesday, 5 October 2004, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

In coming years, the shores of San Francisco Bay south of the San Mateo Bridge will begin to look a bit more like their former, pre-developed selves. The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project will be converting several clusters of salt evaporation ponds, pictured in vivid color in this Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image from October 6, 2003, back into the tidal marshes, mudflats and other wetland ecosystems that pre-date human development of the area. In the scene, ponds that are deep blue are inundated with water, while lighter and bright blue suggests ponds that are in various stages of evaporation, leaving behind the desired salt. Vegetation is bright green, bare soil is pinkish orange, and developed surfaces like cities and roads are light purple.

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